Generally, the cyclone separating apparatus is an apparatus for separating dust and dirt using centrifugal force by generating rotational current inside the cyclone chamber, and is widely used in a variety of fields. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,425,192 and 4,373,228 disclose embodiments adopting such cyclone separating apparatus to the vacuum cleaner.
The above patents disclose a cyclone dust-collecting apparatus for separating dust from air using a plurality of cyclones. In the construction, large dust particles, or dirt, is separated by the first cyclone, and air from which dust or dirt has been separated flows into the second cyclone or the auxiliary cyclone. Accordingly, small dust particles or dirt, are separated, and purified air is discharged to the outside. U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,192 discloses that the auxiliary cyclone is arranged on the upper part of the first cyclone so that large dust particles are separated by the first cyclone, which is a main cyclone, and partially purified air flows into the auxiliary cyclone so that small dust particles are then separated. U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,228 discloses a plurality of cyclone units formed in a manner that the auxiliary cyclones are installed inside the first cyclone.
The conventional cyclone separating apparatus, however, has some problems. First, since the connecting structure between the first cyclone and the auxiliary cyclone is complicated, and a suction force generated from a main body of the vacuum cleaner is difficult to be properly delivered, the suction force and cleaning efficiency is deteriorated. Secondly, since the first cyclone and the auxiliary cyclone are not compactly arranged, the cyclone separating apparatus indispensably requires a big volume to properly perform an appropriate dust-collecting function. Accordingly, the vacuum cleaner with the above cyclone separating apparatus is large in its structure, the cleaner is difficult to keep, and the cleaning task is inconvenient to a user. Thirdly, since a connection path between the first cyclone and the auxiliary cyclone is complicated, a production process is complicated. Therefore, the number of parts and production costs are increased.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.